Meanings
plural incudes
- anatomyA small anvil-shaped bone in the middle ear.
The tympanic cavity is spanned by the three smallest bones in the body: the auditory ossicles[…] These bones, named for their shape, are the malleus (malʹe-us; "hammer"); the incus (ingʹkus; "anvil"); and the stapes (staʹpēz; "stirrup").
2010, Elaine N. Marieb, Katja Hoehn, Human Anatomy & Physiology, 8th edition, page 576Synonyms: anvil
- climatologyAn accessory cloud in the shape of an anvil which forms by spreading at the top of a cumulonimbus.
Synonyms: anvil, thunderhead
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA small anvil-shaped bone in the middle ear.
nounAn accessory cloud in the shape of an anvil which forms by spreading at the top of a cumulonimbus.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna small bone in the middle ear between the malleus and the stapes
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinincūs
- Latinincūs
- Englishincus
Borrowed from Latin incūs (“anvil”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
incus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incus
“incus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incus. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “incus,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incus.
Source: incus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.